Casket handle



June 27, 1939. G. w. CLIFFORD 3,

- CASKET HANDLE Filed March 9, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ll I INVENTOR I k I I 23 I /3 0 ATTORNEYS 620E625 1M [UP/FORD I June 27, 1939. UFF R 2,163,830

,CASKET HANDLE Filed March 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y W-P 8/ 43 45 7 1 IN VE TOR W kw aiaka lllfl/rroiw 4 4 2 77M TTORNEYS Patented June 27, 1939 2,163,830

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GASKET HANDLE George M. Clifiord, Westfield, Mass, assignor to Textile Manufacturing Company, Westfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 9, 1937, Serial No. 129,862

3 Claims. (Cl. 16-412) This invention relates to casket handles. In bers, and the ears are preferably formed from the past the type of casket handle having the best some easily moldable metal such as a lead anappearance has had a bar supported rigidly on timony alloy into which are cast steel braces I3. lugs or supports extending outwardly from the These braces have upstanding portions I4 which 5 wall of the casket. An excellent appearance can as shown in Fig. 4 lie in the center of the ears 6 thus be obtained, but in order to get suflicient I2. room for the hands it is necessary that the bar At each end of the plate is mounted, in a manbe set out a substantial distance from the wall of ner to be described, a handle supporting arm I5 the casket, thereby increasing the overall dimenhaving a portion of reduced height I6 extending l sions of the latter. In order to obtain sufficient between the ears I2. The top of the portion I6 0 hand room without increasing the overall dimenis preferably made flush with the members I I and sions of the casket it has also been proposed to the two parts are designed so that the arms I use hinged handles. Former types of hinged and the supporting members H merge into a handles have been of much poorer appearance unitary design. Looking from the side, as in Fig.

than the solid bar type, both because of the design 2, it will be seen that the parting line H between 15 of the hinge and because they have required too the arms I5 and the ears I2 is positioned diagogreat an overall height of the handle supporting nally so that when the handle is down there is structure. A further difliculty with these hinged no gap apparent and still the handle can be handles has been that the continuity of the dereadily raised.

sign was broken when the handle was either in The arms I 5 are also formed of a moldable 0 lowerer or raised positions. alloy cast around a reenforcing piece I8 of steel The present invention relates to a hinged haninto which a square hole I9 is formed for the redle having the appearance of a solid bar handle ception of the bar 20. The ears I2, the upstandand taking up no more room in a vertical diing portions I 40f the braces I3, the part I6 of rection. The invention further permits the use each arm I5, and the reenforcements I8, are all 25 of a single supporting plate instead of the two perforated to receive pintles 2| by which the spaced plates customarily used for handles of the arms are pivoted. As will be seen in Fig. 3, the solid bar type. The invention also provides a members II are cut away internaly, preferably handle which maintains the continuity of the on a curve, so that the arms will have room to design in both lowered and raised position. The move and the continuity of the design as viewed 30 invention further permits the merging of the defrom the front will be preserved in any position sign between the fixed and movable parts so that of the handle. To limit the upward movement a balanced design and an ample swinging moveof the arms the reenforcements I8 are provided ment of the handle can be obtained with a relawith lugs 22 which engage the ends of the flat tively small overall height and thickness. The portions of the braces I3 as will be apparent from 35 invention also permits the handle structure bethe dotted lines in Fig. 3. These flat portions of ing secured to the wall of the casket by means the braces I3 and the plate I0 underneath them which are entirely concealed from view. are perforated with countersunk holes for se- Referring to the drawings: curing screws or bolts 23. When the arms are Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly broken away, lowered these screws are completely concealed 40 showing the improved type of handle; from view. Fig. 2 is an end elevation with the bar broken It will be noted from the above description. that away; the outer sides of the arms I5 are flush with the Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fi 1; outer sides of the ears I2 giving the arms and the ig. 4 is a Sec o 011 l of Fig supporting members II the appearance of one 45 Fig. 5 is a central section through a modified continuous member. The same continuity is form of handle structure; maintained whether viewed from the side or the Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 8; front. It will be further noted that practically. Fig. '7 is a section on line II of Fig. 8; and the entire height of the plate II] can be used for Fig. 8 is a section of the bar supporting arm. the arms I5, depending only on the extent of 50 The handle supporting structure consists of a members II which is desired for design purbase plate I 0 which may be made in one or more poses; so that the maximum spacing of the hansections. At the ends of this plate are hinge dle from the casket wall can be obtained when supporting members II provided with parallel the handle is raised, together with a minimum ears I2. The plate, the hinge supporting memoverall height of the plate and a minimum thick- 55 ness of the assembly when the arms are lowered. It will also be noted that the ears I2 terminate at the slanting line I! well above the bar 20, so that when the handle is down the bar is positioned close to the plate It] without interference from the ears. This provides a very compact device which does not require any recessing of the supporting structure to accommodate the bar when in its lowered position.

The modification shown in Figs. to 8 permits an even greater degree of separation of the bar from the casket wall without increasing the overall dimensions of the handle structure when the bar is down. In this case, as previously, the base is formed of a casting 30, preferably hollow, in which steel reenfo-rcements 3| are embedded near its ends. The ends of the casting are enlarged at 32, and into these enlargements pass spaced pairs of lugs 33 arranged as in the case of the ears I2 previously described. Between each pair of lugs extends a stationary pivot pin 34 which is also embedded in the casting, the latter being cut away at 35 to form parallel ears 36 similar to the ears l2 previously described. An arm 31, formed of a suitable casting and carrying centrally thereof a brace 38 of sheet steel, is positioned between each pair of ears; and its brace is provided with a curved slot 39 through which the pivot 34 passes. Each brace 38- also carries a pin 40 passing through a slot 4| in a link 42 pivoted at 43 to the brace 3|.

As the bar 43 is drawn outwardly from its supporting structure, its slot 39 will slide on the pivot 34 until the position of Fig. '7 is reached, at which the pin 40 reaches the end of slot 4|. The arm will be held firmly by the pivot 34 and the link 42 instead of by the pivot 2i and the abutment 22 as in the previous case. On the reverse movement the end of the arm will slide into the hollow interior 45 of the enlargement 32, causing the overall height of the collapsed handle to be less than would be the case were a fixed pivotal connection to be used. If desired, an abutment 46 on the end of each reenforcement 38 may be employed as in the preceding modification to assist in supporting the arm in its extended position.

What I claim is:

1. A casket handle comprising a hollow supporting structure having two pairs of spaced parallel ears, a pivot extending between each pair of said ears, an arm mounted between each pair of ears and having an arcuate slot to receive the pivot, a bar extending between said arms, and connections between the arms and the supporting structure to constrain the arms to-move on said pivots further into the hollow of the supporting structure when the handle is moved to inactive position.

2. A casket handle comprising a hollow supporting structure having two pairs of spaced parallel ears, a pivot extending between each pair of said ears, an arm mounted between each pair of ears and having an arcuate slot to receive the pivot, and a link connecting each arm and the supporting structure and having a pin and slot connection with the arm. to constrain the arms to move on said pivots further into the hollow supporting structure when the handle is moved to inactive position and to limit the pivotal movement of the arms away from the supporting structure.

3. In a casket handle, a plate adapted to be secured to the casket wall and formed to provide parallel spaced ears with their ends beveled in a direction downwardly and towards the casket wall, an arm of a width equal to the overall width of the spaced ears and shouldered laterally to provide a portion of reduced width extending between the ears, the shoulders of said arm being beveled to correspond with the bevels at the ends of the spaced ears, a pintle connecting the arm with said ears for pivotal movement, and a handle carried by said arm, whereby when the handle is in lowered position the lateral surfaces of the arm merge into the lateral surfaces of the ears.

GEORGE M. CLIFFORD. 

